FINALS REVIEW – GULBIS’ DRAMATIC COMEBACK; SPANIARDS EYE
LONDON• Ernests
Gulbis reeled off the final 11 games to complete a 3-6,
6-4, 6-0 comeback win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the
St. Petersburg Open final.• World No. 36 Gulbis
won the fourth ATP World Tour title of his career and
the first outside of the U.S.A.• The 25-year-old
Gulbis claimed his 34th win of a career-best season as
he added to the title he won as a qualifier in February
at the Delray Beach Open (d. Roger-Vasselin).•
The 30-year-old Garcia-Lopez also lost out earlier this
season in the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy final in
Bucharest (l. to Rosol). He dropped to a 19-20 match
record on the season.• Top seeds David Marrero
and Fernando Verdasco boosted their chances of
qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for
the first time as they won their first ATP World Tour
title of the season together.• The Spaniards won
their fifth team title. Last year, the duo went 4-1 in
ATP World Tour finals, capturing titles on clay in
Hamburg, Umag, Acapulco and Buenos Aires.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Gulbis: “I feel great, it’s my
second title of the season - the fourth one of the my
career. I’ve been very consistent especially in finals;
I’ve never lost in a final. I’m proud of that record.

"I made my short term goals. I’m going to be
seeded in Melbourne with these points, so that’s done.
Now everything that comes, comes. I have nothing to
defend so it’s all good.

“The main key why I’m
not yet a top player is the consistency. Everybody knows
I can play well for a tournament or a match and then I
go downhill. I just need to bring this consistency to
bigger tournaments, especially Grand Slams. Then I
believe I am a Top 20 player for sure, and not so far
from Top 10.”

Garcia-Lopez: “Despite losing today I
played some unbelievable tennis all week, so I have to
be happy overall with the week. Congratulations to
Ernests, he deserved the title today.”

Verdasco: “First of all I’d like to
thank my partner, David. It’s our fifth title together
and our first title of 2013. With this victory we get a
little bit closer to getting to London. That’s our goal
and hopefully we will make it.”